


Critical Moment

by Yusuke (foxjar)



Series: Shukita Week 2019 [7]
Category: Persona 5, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Shukita Week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-02-07 06:45:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18615274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxjar/pseuds/Yusuke
Summary: Devil Summoner Yusuke is tasked with looking into a peculiar case that may involve a demon.





	Critical Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Shukita Week Day Seven: free day. I chose to do a crossover!
> 
> Title is from the Soulless Army's OST, because I like to think I'm a clever lad.

For once, Yusuke's interests in art and devil summoning coincide. The prominent gallery where his art is to be displayed is opening today, and that is where his latest job takes him. Protecting Tokyo comes first, after all, but at least he didn’t have to choose this time.

“You’re lucky the woman who gave you the case told you he’d be here,” Gouto says from inside Yusuke’s book bag, peeking his head out. The bag is large enough to carry his mentor, who happens to live in the body of a small, black cat, but it isn't ideal by any means — especially not here in the gallery.

Yusuke nods, his eyes darting across the room in search of his quarry. The woman who visited them earlier seemed worried about a friend of hers — a man by the name of Kurusu Akira — that has been exhibiting strange behavior lately. Changes in his personality, forgetting things, disappearing for days at a time without recollection for the time he was missing; there are a wide variety of causes that could be attributed to the phenomenon. But Gouto had urged him to check it out, just in case.

Gouto’s intuition has never led Yusuke astray, and they both can tell who their target is the moment they lay their eyes on him. He’s in a corner of the gallery, standing with a small group of other visitors. It isn’t his appearance that sets them off — tousled black hair, collared jacket, and slacks — but what’s behind him.

The creature is tall, its body a mesh of red and black. Its long head towers over everyone in the room, only a few feet shy from hitting the ceiling, with dark wings cradling its body. The cravat resting at its throat is a stark contrast to the rest of its appearance, giving the creature an almost gentlemanly look.

Yusuke isn’t sure how to approach Akira now, who he had expected to receive intel from. If this did end up turning into a supernatural related case, he wasn’t expecting a demon to be lurking so close — and such a dangerous looking one, too.

Gouto is quiet in his bag now, unable to muster any sort of advice. He’s as stumped as Yusuke is.

“Be careful,” is all he says.

If this demon has been stalking Akira for the weeks that he’s been acting strangely, Yusuke guesses that it won’t attack him outright. Not here, anyways, so he approaches their target, with one hand hovering over the tubes hanging on his belt that contain his demons.

He can feel the demon’s energy in the air more strongly now, almost crackling and making him wince. And yet Akira is smiling, seemingly unaffected by the demon’s presence. After the people around him have left, Yusuke finally steps toward him as Akira gazes up at a painting on the wall.

The demon is a foreboding contrast to Akira’s relaxed demeanor. When he introduces himself, he has to keep his eyes from darting between the two: one daring, the other oblivious. He’s about to ask him how he’s enjoying the gallery — lacking any other sort of opening — when Akira’s eyes light up.

“You’re the artist of the ‘Omnia vincit amor,’ aren’t you?”

Yusuke glances up at the demon, who has yet to make a move, before nodding. He’s surprised that Akira has already made his rounds of the gallery, and even remembered both his name and the title of his submission.

“I saw it online — in an article about the showing,” Akira admits, his chin ducking into his white turtleneck. “I had to come see it in person.”

Akira praises the composition of the piece, as well as the color choice. Although Yusuke can still feel the tension in his chest as the demon looms over them, he’s somewhat eased by the compliments that seem to flow so easily, and with such honesty. This explains why Akira is at the gallery in the first place, but it also turns out he’s a student of art history at a local university. Yusuke recognizes the name, but doesn’t remember where exactly in Tokyo it is.

“It’s really good to meet you,” Akira says, still smiling. “I’m sorry if that’s weird. It’s probably weird, isn’t it?”

He can’t remember the last time he’s been appreciated this much. Not even Madarame — the famous artist who has been housing him for the past few years — has ever complimented him with such flourish. It makes him feel good, in a way he hasn’t in a long time, and it makes him associate that ever-lingering smile with the warmest emotions.

“Yusuke. Focus.” Gouto’s reminder is quiet from in his bag, although still firm, as he’s come to expect from his mentor.

The demon — of course. But it isn’t doing anything yet, and technically he’s still investigating, even if he’s not doing anything about it directly.

Akira continues: “I know this is forward of me, but...would you like to get coffee sometime?”

Nobody has ever been this attached to his art, and Yusuke feels himself drawn into the idea. Talking about his art, over a hot cup of coffee, just the two of them — even more than the selfish desire to hear Akira’s praises, he wants to hear what he thinks. He wants to know what he loves.

Gouto yowls at him. “Yusuke, what are you doing? We have the information we need — let’s go to the Dark World and deal with this thing already.”

Akira scrunches his face at the sound, looking toward Yusuke’s partially unzipped bag. Although only Yusuke can hear Gouto's words, other people can still hear his meows.

“Is that a...cat?” he asks.

Gouto grumbles again. “Now you’ve gone and done it —”

“Yes.” Yusuke nods. There’s no point in lying now, but Akira’s response surprises him. He steps closer to Yusuke, unhooking his bag from his shoulder to bring it closer between them. If anyone’s watching them, they must think they’re exchanging something suspicious, but, no, inside is just another cat. It’s black with a white snout and yellow collar, and it sniffs at Yusuke and Gouto with interest.

It’s unnerving to have the demon a few inches closer, but if it means Akira is, too, then it’s worth it. He can smell just a hint of fragrance — earthy, like sandalwood.

When Akira steps back, he introduces his cat: Morgana. Yusuke introduces Gouto in turn, who’s still grumbling about wasting time, although quieter now. When someone walks past, Akira turns back toward the painting, his hand brushing Yusuke’s — the one still resting on his belt. Akira pulls his hand back, as if touching him hurt, and when he looks up at Yusuke, he must see the worry in his eyes.

“It’s nothing. Just...those hands created something truly remarkable.”

They make plans for their trip to the coffee shop this coming weekend, and Yusuke tells himself he’ll be able to both investigate and learn more about Akira. Gouto is right, of course — the demon should be dealt with as soon as possible — but the possibility of its death having adverse effects on Akira doesn’t escape his thought.

By learning more about Akira, he’ll be able to see more into why the demon is following him. And Yusuke wants to know more about Akira: his art studies, what makes him smile like that, why he keeps his cat in his book bag. Maybe Akira will ask him why he keeps Gouto with him, too, and maybe he’ll find a more believable reason than Gouto being his devil summoning predecessor, who, for some reason, is living in the form of a cat.


End file.
